Floating fish-trap.



N. JONASSON.

FLOATING FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1911. 1,001,760, Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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N. JONASSON. FLOATING FISH TRAP. APPLICATION FILED 11.13.16, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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N. JONASSON.

FLOATING FISH TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.16, 1911.

1,001,760. `Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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TTNTTFD STATES `PATENT @FFT@E.

NILS JONASSON, 0F COSMOPOLIS, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0WILLIAM F. MCGREGOR, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

FLOATING FISH-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 16, 1911.

Patented Ang. 29, 1911. Serial No. 614,885.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, NILs JoNAssoN, residing at Cosmopolis, in the countyof Chehalis and State of Washington, have invented a new and ImprovedFloating Fish- Trap, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, which relates to deep water fishing, primarily has for itsobject to provide a new and improved construction of floating fish trap,more especially designed for salmon fishing and which can be readily setout in cit-her slack ebb or in flood tides.

Another object of my invention is to provide a floating fish trap havingspecial means for easily lifting the trap pot for removing the caughtfish and for closing the throatway from the main part Vof the trap toprevent the escape of fish from said part of the trap when the pot islifted.

A further object of my invention is to provide a trap of the characterstated in which the trap pot is electrically equipped for night fishingand in which a simplified and improved means is embodied for drawing orfolding up the entire trap when it is desired to remove the same orshift the setting thereof from one place to another.

Vith the above and other objects in view, my invention consists of afloating fish trap that embodies the peculiar combinations, and novelarrangement of parts, all of which will be herinafter fully explained,specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l, is a plan view thatillustrates the general arrangement of my trap, when set. Fig. 2, is aside elevation thereof. Fig. 3, is a cross section of the same, takensubstantially on the line 3-3 on Figs. 1 and 2 and more particularlyshows how the lift rope hereinafter referred to is arranged. Fig. 4l, isa cross section of the trap on the line 4 4 on Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a rearelevation of the trap pot. Fig. 6, is a front view thereof. Fig. 7, is adetail side elevation and shows the manner in which the trap pot orpound is raised for delivering the caught fish. Figs. 8 and 9 are detailviews that show the arrangement of the electric lights and the wiringfor the trap pot, and hereinafter more particularly referred to.

In the practical arrangement, my invenstructure that can tion comprisesa number of connected fioats with which the seine portions of the trapare connected and from which the several parts of the seine, includingthe .trap or pound, are controlled, and the said several floats and theseine portions form a floating be readily towed as a or points desired,the especially designed for deep body to the point whole being waterfishing.

The floating structure consists of two front floats l-2, two rear floats3 4., which may be, and preferably are, scows or skiffs and the severalpairs being arranged in transverse alinement, and to provide for holdingthe several scows in =proper positioned relation, the front and rearpairs of skiffs are joined by long wide planks which also form gangs sothe fisherman can pass from the front to the rear skiffs. Each -oair ofskiffs is also braced by cross memers -60 and the members 60 on the rearskiffs are joined by other cross members 6l-6l, the said several membersGO-l forming a rectangular framing` between which the pot or trap, inwhich the fish are collected, is vertically movable, as hereinafterexplained.

The seine body, the peculiar construction of which forms an essentialfeature of my invention, includes a main heart or entrance portion 7which comprises the seine wall that connects at the top to the corklines 8 and at the bottom to the lead line 9 and this part of the trapis the deepest and has the wall inclined slightly inwardly as best shownin Fig. 3, so as to aid in directing the fish upwardly into the tunnelportion of the trap. The heart 7 is of uniform depth and at the inner orthroat portion it joins with the tunnel portion of the seine, the closedbottom of which inclines upwardly to direct the fish to the pot or trappresently described.

Vithin the heart 7 and in advance of the throat 70X thereof, is locateda blind l() which has an inwardly curved seine wall, the ends of whichjoin with the opposite sides of the heart and which has the usual corkline connection at the top, and the lead line on the bottom, the objectof the said `blind l() being to direct the fish toward the center of theheart before they have the chance to pass to the throat or outlet 70Xthereof. Centrally the blind has a passage 10a that extends its fulldepth but has a series of cross lines 10b that form a plurality ofhorizontal passages for the fish and breaks up a continuous way oropening. By reason of providing a blind in the hea-rt 7 the said heartis divided into two distinct compartments, a wide receiving portion anda restricted one, which, by reason of its restriction, causes the fishas they collect therein to quickly seek an exit from the said heart, itbeing apparent from Fig. 1 of the drawing, the floating of the trapbeing in the direction of the arrow a?, the fish, as they enter theheart take the course indicated by the arrows and in passing through theblind their natural direction of movement is first backwardly toward theblind and thence directly through the throat X into the tunnel. rlhetunnel is tapering from the heart to the trap or pot and it consists ofa main or body portion composed of the inclined sides 11-11 providedwith the usual cork and lead lines 11a-11b, the latter being braced andheld extended by the cross lines 11d.

At the entrance to the tunnel the throat 70X has rearwardly extendedside walls 71 for directing the course of the fish, as indicated by thearrows on Fig. 1, and about midway thereof the passage of the tunnel isrestricted by a blind formed by the side walls 11"'--11e that convergefrom the sides of the tunnel to a throatway 11f, the said walls 11e-11eand the extensions 71 being held to the desired positions by the staylines 72--72 The blind walls 11e--11e divide the tunnel into twodistinct compartments, designated alf-, and by reason thereof the fishin entering the compartment a collect and pass back from the walls 11etoward the heart end before they pass through the throatway 11 intocompartment Z) where their straight course is again intercepted bysupplemental tunnel 12 that extends into the trap or pot, the saidtunnel 12 consisting of the inwardly converging sides 12a-12a braced bythe lines 12b-12b, the throat 12c of the said tunnel being of suchrestricted size as to keep the fish from passing back through it, itbeing clear from the drawing (see Fig. 1) that the supplemental tunnel12 causes the fish to change their course and pass back in the maintunnel on the lines indicated before they go through the throat 12E, itbeing also clear that by reason of thepeculiar construction of thetunnels a large number of fish will at all times be contained within themain tunnel. At the point where the supplemental tunnel joins the maintunnel the latter is of a more flexible character than the main part ofthe main tunnel, see Figs. 2 and 7, the purpose of which will bepresently explained.

The pot or trap, the construction of which forms an important part of myinvention,

consists of a rectangular framing composed of vertical rods 13-13 topand bottom cross rods 13a joined with the rods 18 and the sides andbottom seine or nett-ing portions 13"--13c the top of the pot beingopen.

By referring now more particularly to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of the drawingsit will be noticed the pot or trap is located between the framingsupport-ed by the rear scows or skiifs and the pot is so supported thatwhen sunk its upper part extends some distance above the water line,high enough that the fish cannot jump over it, and at this point itshould be stated, none of the tunnels are covered with netting for thereason that the fish often swim near the top or water surface,especially sockeye salmon a species of fish that can see from somedist-ance where they are swimming and are afraid if a net covers thewater and throws shadows thereon. The trap 13 is suspended on ropes 14:each of which has one end made fast to the top of the scows and passedover the outside thereof and then down under the cross rods at thebottom of the trap (see Figs. 5 and 6) and then passed up and made fastto the cross members that pass from one scow to the other as is clearlyshown and by reason thereof the fishermen in the scows, by pulling upthe inner ends of the rope, can readily raise the trap to a pointpractically yout of the water and above the upper side of the tunnelsince the latter remains relatively stationary with respect to the traas will be clearly understood from Fig. Since a large number of the fishare always contained within the main tunnel, I have provided fortrapping them in such main tunnel when the pot or trap 13 is elevated byhaving the outer end of the main tunnel sufficiently flexible that thesaid end pulls up and closes that end of the main tunnel when the trapis elevated and for such purpose the flexible end of the main tunnel hasring connections 15-15 with the vertical rods of the adjacent end of thetrap that collapse when the trap is raised in a manner clearlyunderstood by referring to Fig. 7.

The habit of the salmo-n at night is to swim toward a light and fornight fishing the trap or pot is equipped with electric lights 16-16located in the corners thereof and to coperate with U-shaped sheet tincombined guards and reflectors 17, see Figs. 7 and 8, the current-wiresto the lights passing from the towing boat and over the guide posts 18on the skiffs.

To provide for quickly hauling up the net, hauling lines l0-4:0 extendfrom the front skiffs and connect to the lead lines atthe front or heartend of the trap.

20-20 designate canvas drags, one ateach side of the front or heart endof the main portion of the seine, and these are secured to pairs 'ofendless cords 21-21 movable through guide eyes 22-22 on the cork andlead lines, the purpose of the said drags being explained as follows.When the floating trap is set for drifting it is placed across thecurrent and only one lead line is used, the other being taken off. Ifthe trap is drifting too fast the other lead line is thrown out from theskiffs and if it does not stop the drifting, the said canvas drags arelowered to form retarding elements.

I/Vhile I prefer to use the blind net in the front or heart end of theseine, since I find by its use the sh can be the better caught7 the saidblind net may be omitted when conditions make it so desirable and forreadily removing it the said blind is tied to the heart seine by shortropes.

The posts in the rear skiffs that support the electric wires may supporttackle for connecting with the trap pot lifting ropes.

50 shows a sack or cod that is detachably secured to the rear wall ofthe trap or pot which is used when fish are running in large numbers sothey can be taken alive from the pot or trap and run into a scow thatsets in water, for keeping them alive, when Cannery is blocked'or thesupply is greater than the capacity of the Cannery.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,the complete operation the structure and the advantages of my inventionwill be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which itappertains.

lVhat I claim is:

l. In a floating fish trap, the combination with a pot, and a tunnelwhose bottom inclines downwardly from the pot and whose top isrelatively stationary with respect to said pot; of a heart seine ofuniform depth that extends to the front bottom edge of the tunneland'adjustable retarding elements on the heart end of the trap.

2. A floating sh trap that consists of a pair of front scows, a pair ofrear scows, a heart7 portion suspended from the front scows, means onsaid front scows for lifting up the heart end of the seine, a potvertically movable between and supported by the rear scows, means on thescows for raising and lowering the pot and a tunnel that joins the heartportion and the pot.

3. In a oating iish trap, the combination with a pot and a tunnel whosebottom inclines downwardly from the pot; and whose top is relativelystationary with respect to the said pot; of a heart seine of uniformdepth that extends to the front and bottom edge of the tunnel,adjustable retarding elements on the heart end of the trap and means forsimultaneously closing the discharge end of the tunnel as the pot israised.

4. A floating fish trap that consists of a pair of front scows, a pairof rear scows, a heart portion suspended from the front scows, means onthe front scows for lifting up the heart end of the same, a potvertically movable between and supported by the rear scows, a tunnelthat joins the heart portion and the pot, and means on the rear scowsfor raising and lowering the pot and simultaneously closing thedischarge end of the tunnel.

NILS JONASSON.

Witnesses:

CARL KNUTSEN, W. T. EAKIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

